Customer Ratings Website for the Care Sector to be Created

Wednesday, 21st December 2011

It was announced earlier this month that the general public will be able to rate nursing and residential care homes for the elderly as well as community care provision services for the elderly on a new website under plans to be set out in a Government white paper due to be published in the spring of 2012.

All care providers would be rated on an online database, similar to hotel and restaurant reviews that appear on the ‘Trip Advisor’ site. The system is intended to expose failures to treat people with dignity and respect, such as abuse and theft. Relatives would be encouraged to join scrutiny teams visiting family members receiving care.

The care services minister, Paul Burstow, has asked officials to work out how to implement the plans, which emerged following a recent consultation with the public and a number of national charities.

Paul Burstow said: "The reason I'm so excited by these new ideas is they came from care users themselves. Measures like publishing social care comparison sites and opening care services up to greater scrutiny will revolutionise the way people and their loved ones choose their social care.

"It can't be right that you can find out exactly what a hotel or restaurant is like in just a short time searching the web, but people have so much trouble working out the standards of different care homes and home care providers – when that choice is so much more important.

"I hope providers of good quality care will welcome that we're looking for new ways to highlight the good work they do to care for people.

"And for those areas where standards aren't so good, I want people to get the message loud and clear that we're intent on doing absolutely all we can to shine a light on bad treatment and raise quality for everyone."